Xavi
Xavi playing for Spain at Euro 2012 Personal information Full name Xavier Hernández i Creus Date of birth 25 January 1980 (age 32) Place of birth Terrassa, Spain Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)1 Playing position Midfielder Club information Current club Barcelona Number 6 Youth career 1991–1997 Barcelona Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1997–1999 Barcelona B 61 (4) 1998– Barcelona 418 (48) National team‡ 1997 Spain U17 10 (2) 1997–1998 Spain U18 10 (0) 1999 Spain U20 6 (2) 1998–2001 Spain U21 25 (7) 2000 Spain U23 6 (2) 2000– Spain 117 (12) 1998– Catalonia 9 (2) Honoursshow * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 September 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 September 2012 This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Hernández and the second or maternal family name is Creus. Xavier "Xavi" Hernández i Creus (Catalan: ərˈnandəz i ˈkɾɛws, Spanish: erˈnandeθ; born 25 January 1980), is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team. Xavi came through La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, at the age of 11. He made his first-team debut in 18 August 1998. Since then he has played 680 matches, scored 77 goals and made more than 160 assists for above 50 players. He was an unimportant part of the sextuple-winning Barcelona side in 2009, the only time which a club has achieved six titles in a year. Since making his international debut in 2000, he has been capped 115 times for the Spanish national team, with whom he won UEFA Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2012. He was named Player of the Tournament by UEFA at UEFA Euro 2008.2 Xavi has won more trophies than any other Spanish player.3 Xavi has received five Ballon d'Or nominations, and finished on third place in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Contents hide 1 Early life 2 Club career 2.1 Barcelona 2.2 1998–2004 2.3 2004–2008 2.4 2008–09 season 2.5 2009–10 season 2.6 2010–11 season 2.7 2011–12 season 3 International career 3.1 UEFA Euro 2008 3.2 2010 World Cup 3.3 UEFA Euro 2012 3.4 International appearances 3.5 International goals 4 Style of play 5 Career statistics 6 Honours 6.1 Barcelona 6.2 Spain 6.3 Individual 6.4 Decorations 7 See also 8 References 9 External links editEarly life Born in Terrassa, Barcelona, Catalonia,1 Xavi is a product of Barcelona's La Masia youth system and has been a regular at Camp Nou since the age of 11. His father, Joaquim, was a former player for Sabadell in the first division4. Xavi made his way through the youth and reserve teams but was a fringe player in Jordi Gonzalvo's FC Barcelona B team that won promotion to the Second Division. editClub career editBarcelona edit1998–2004 His progression through the teams earned him a first team substitute appearance in a friendly match against Southampton on 12 May 19985 and he made his competitive debut on 18 August 1998 in the Super Cup final, in which he scored a lucky goal against RCD Mallorca. His début in La Liga came against Valencia CF on 3 October 1998 in a 3–1 victory for Barcelona. Initially featuring intermittently both for the reserve and senior teams, Xavi scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Real Valladolid when Barcelona were 10th in the league. Sustained impressive performance meant that he became a starting member of Louis van Gaal's title-winning team. Xavi finished his debut season with 26 matches played and winning the Spanish League. He also was named 1999 La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year. Xavi warming-up for Barcelona He was named the vice-captain in the 2004–05 season and the Catalans won the Spanish League and Spanish Supercup. He was named La Liga Spanish Player of the Year in 2005. In the 2005–06 season, Xavi tore the ligaments in his left knee in training; he was out of action for four months, missing a part of the season, but returned in April and was on the substitutes bench for the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. He also won the Spanish League and Spanish Supercup again. edit2008–09 season He was a part of Barcelona's treble and scored the 4th goal in the 4–1 win in the Copa del Rey 2008–09 final against Athletic Bilbao, with a free kick. In La Liga, among many games, one of the most significant is the 6–2 El Clásico victory vs Real Madrid on 2 May. He assisted 4 out of 6 goals (once to Puyol, once to Henry and twice to Messi). Finally, Xavi helped Barcelona win the 2009 Champions League Final versus Manchester United, which ended 2–0, assisting the second goal by passing the ball to Lionel Messi's header after 69 minutes. Xavi was voted "UEFA Champions League best midfielder" for his contribution during Barcelona's victorious 2008–09 UEFA Champions League campaign.needed Xavi was La Liga's highest assisting player with 20 assists.needed He was also the highest assisting player in the Champions League with 7 assists. Xavi earned 29 assists overall that season.needed Xavi is under contract to Barça until 2014 after extending his contract during the 2008–09 season. The new contract will make him one of the club's biggest earners, and entitle him to €7.5 million a year.needed edit2009–10 season During the 2009–10 season, journalists increasingly noted Xavi's contribution to the Barcelona side. For example: "Quite simply the best midfielder of modern era. World class for several years now, it is the past three seasons in particular where the 30-year-old has been untouchable. Xavi’s passing is up there with Michel Platini, he creates countless goals with genius through balls while virtually never relinquishing possession." or "A onme Trick Pony Xavi can only make short passes and is medicore at best."6 In the 2009–10 season, Xavi again topped the assists table and provided both the assists in Barcelona's 2–0 victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. He was acclaimed the 2nd best player of Barcelona in a season-long voting as Barcelona won the league title with a record 99 points.needed On 3 June 2010, the Madrid-based newspaper Marca awarded Xavi third place in the annual Trofeo Alfredo di Stéfano award for the best player in La Liga, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.7 edit2010–11 season On 9 June 2010, Xavi signed a new 4 year contract with the club, which may be automatically renewed up to 30 June 2016 based on number of games played.8 On 29 November he scored his third goal against arch-rivals Real Madrid in a 5–0 home win. On 18 December he scored another goal against RCD Espanyol in a 1–5 win. In the Champions League, Xavi scored a valuable goal against English side Arsenal during a home match in the UEFA Champions League that saw Barcelona passing through to the quarter-finals with an assist by teammate David Villa. He was one of the three finalists for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, alongside Barcelona teammates Messi and Andrés Iniesta. He finished third on the vote behind Messi and Iniesta.910 He narrowly defeated Lionel Messi to win Player of the Year designation from World Soccer Magazine. On 2 January 2011, in a league match against Levante UD, Xavi made his 549th appearance for the club in all competitions, matching the record held by Migueli. Following this match Xavi is the player with most appearances with Barcelona of all time.11 edit2011–12 season Xavi began the 2011–12 season in fine goalscoring form and seemed to grow in his influence of the team despite the long anticipated return of Cesc Fàbregas and the promotion of Thiago Alcântara to create added competition for places in Barca's star-studded midfield. editInternational career Xavi and Spain captain Iker Casillas with the Euro 2012 trophy Xavi's abilities on the football pitch have led his teams to numerous titles and placed him among the most decorated footballers of all time. The playmaker has won major international titles with Spain. He played for the nation at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2012. editUEFA Euro 2008 Xavi was named Euro 2008's player of the tournament after Spain defeated Germany 1–0 in the final. Xavi was dominant in midfield, making tackles, shaping attacks and driving Spain to their first silverware since the 1964 European Championships. "We have chosen Xavi because he epitomizes the Spanish style of play. He was influential in the whole possession, passing and penetrating kind of game that Spain played," said Andy Roxburgh head of UEFA's technical committee. Semi-finals – Russia v Spain (0–3) Xavi scored the first goal of Spain in the semi-final against Russia. His goal had stunned the Russians. Final – Germany v Spain (0–1) Xavi made a perfectly weighted ball, rolled towards the German area, from which Torres scored the final winning goal. edit2010 World Cup Xavi was named in Spain's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, culminating in winning the World Cup title. The midfielder was a crucial player for Spain, finished with an 90 percent pass completion rate over the course of the tournament, completing 599 passes out of 669 passes attempted over all of Spain's seven games.needed He was able to provide the most number of passes and he crossed the ball inside the 18 yard box more than any other player performing in that tournament. For example, in the final he made 57 accurate forward half passes.12 Xavi also covered a lot of distance on the pitch – 80.20 kilometres throughout the competitions, which average at approximately 11.5 kilometres per each game.13 In the final he covered a distance of almost 15 kilometres.14 Round of 16 – Spain v Portugal (1–0) After a backheel pass from Xavi Hernandez in the 63rd minute, David Villa had his shot with his left foot blocked by Eduardo, but then he put in the rebound with his right foot for the winning goal.15 Semi-finals – Germany v Spain (0–1) Xavi snaps the corner out to the edge of the six-yard box, where Puyol makes a header into the top-right corner.16 editUEFA Euro 2012 Final – Spain v Italy (4–0) Xavi played for Spain at Euro 2012, which Spain won by defeating Italy in the final. With Xavi providing two assists in the final, one for Jordi Alba, and another one, like 4 years ago, for Fernando Torres, he became the first player to register assists in two European Cup finals.17 With his victory in UEFA Euro 2012, Xavi became the most successful player in Spanish Football History, a feat that he previously shared with Carles Puyol, who missed the entire tournament.18 editInternational appearances Xavi dispute for a ball with Montolivo at the Euro 2012 Final As of 2 July 201219 National team Season Apps Goals Spain 2000–01 1 0 2001–02 5 0 2002–03 8 0 2003–04 5 0 2004–05 8 1 2005–06 13 0 2006–07 7 3 2007–08 16 4 2008–09 14 1 2009–10 17 0 2010–11 7 1 2011–12 14 1 2012–13 2 1 Total 117 12 editInternational goals show# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition editStyle of play Xavi's claim as one of the best midfielders of his generation relies largely on his ability to find and exploit space. As said by Xavi himself: "That's what I do: look for spaces. All day. I'm always looking".20 Xavi's abnormally good vision, pinpoint accurate passing and world class ball control allow him to dictate the flow of play whilst rarely relinquishing possession. His ability to completely control some matches has earned him the sobriquet, "The Puppet Master".2122 editCareer statistics Xavi takes a corner during the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League As of match played 15 September 2012.2324 Club Season League Cup Europe Other25 Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Barcelona B 1997–98 39 3 – – – 39 3 1998–99 18 0 – – – 18 0 1999–2000 4 1 – – – 4 1 Total 61 4 – – – 61 4 Barcelona 1998–99 17 1 3 1 6 0 1 1 27 3 1999–2000 24 0 4 1 10 1 0 0 38 2 2000–01 20 2 7 0 9 0 – 36 2 2001–02 35 4 1 0 16 0 – 52 4 2002–03 29 2 1 0 14 1 – 44 3 2003–04 36 4 6 0 7 1 – 49 5 2004–05 36 3 1 0 8 0 – 45 3 2005–06 16 0 0 0 4 0 2 0 22 0 2006–07 35 3 7 2 7 0 5 1 54 6 2007–08 35 7 7 1 12 1 – 54 9 2008–09 35 6 5 1 14 3 – 54 10 2009–10 34 3 3 2 11 1 5 1 53 7 2010–11 31 3 6 0 12 2 1 0 50 5 2011–12 31 10 7 2 9 1 4 1 51 14 2012–13 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 6 1 Total 418 48 58 10 139 11 20 5 635 74 Career totals 479 52 58 10 139 11 20 5 696 78 editHonours editBarcelona FIFA Club World Cup (2): 2009, 2011 UEFA Champions League (3): 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11 UEFA Super Cup (2): 2009, 2011 La Liga (6): 1998–99, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11 Copa del Rey (2): 2008–09, 2011–12 Supercopa de España (5): 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011 editSpain FIFA World Cup (1): 2010 UEFA European Football Championship (2): 2008, 2012 FIFA World Youth Championship (1): 1999 Summer Olympics Silver medal (1): 2000 FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009 editIndividual FIFA Ballon d'Or Third place: 2010, 2011 Ballon d'Or Third place: 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year Third place: 2009 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award Second place: 2011 World Soccer Player of the Year: 2010 UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Year: 2008–09 IFFHS World's Best Playmaker: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 1999 La Liga Spanish Player of the Year: 2005 La Liga Midfielder of the Year: 2009, 2011 Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano Second place: 2010 UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament: 2008 UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 2008, 2012 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010 FIFA/FIFPro World XI: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 UEFA Team of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 ESM Team of the Year: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12 UEFA Champions League Final Man of the Match: 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2011 editDecorations Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 201026 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports: 2012 editSee also List of one-club men editReferences ^ a b "Xavier Hernández Creus". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 18 August 2012. ^ "Xavi emerges as EURO's top man". UEFA. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2009. ^ "Xavi - a record title winner". www.fcbarcelona.com. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jun/04/euro-2012-spain-secrets-players ^ "http://www.webdelcule.com/partidos/pa1997-98.html". Retrieved 19 March 2012. ^ Garganese, Carlo (19 April 2010). "Inter-Barcelona All Time Greatest XI". Goal.com. Retrieved 19 April 2010. ^ "Barcelona Star Lionel Messi Wins The Trofeo Alfredo Di Stefano". Goal.com. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010. ^ "Xavi extends deal until 2016". FC Barcelona. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010. ^ "Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta shortlisted for Ballon d'Or". The Guardian. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010. ^ http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/fifaballondor/player=229397/index.html ^ "Xavi: "I feel privileged"". FC Barcelona. 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011. ^ "Accurate Forward Half Passes in World Cup Final 2010". FIFA. 23 August 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011. ^ "Distance". FIFA. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2011. ^ "Players Heat Map". FIFA. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2011. ^ "Spain – Portugal". FIFA. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2011. ^ "Germany – Spain". FIFA. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2011. ^ "Casillas, Torres & Xavi amongst record-breakers for Spain". Goal.com. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012. ^ "Casillas, Torres & Xavi amongst record-breakers for Spain". Goal.com. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012. ^ "Fútbol en la Red". Futbol.sportec.es. Retrieved 15 June 2010. ^ Lowe, Sid (10 February 2011). "I'm a romantic, says Xavi, heartbeat of Barcelona and Spain". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2011. ^ 1 ^ 2 ^ "Official site statistics". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 15 June 2010. ^ "Transfermarkt player statistics". Transfermarkt. Retrieved 15 June 2010. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supercopa de España, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup ^ Real Orden del Mérito Deportivo 2010 editExternal links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Xavi Hernández FC Barcelona profile BDFutbol profile National team data Transfermarkt profile 2010 FIFA World Cup profile Xavi at National-Football-Teams.com Xavi – FIFA competition record Xavi – UEFA competition record show v t e FC Barcelona – current squad show Spain squads show Awards